New Years’ Resolutions: Why they never last.
Is this a good thing?
I am aware it’s February, and I am writing about New Years’ Resolutions. However, maybe this is the right time to decide on resolutions. No one really likes January; it’s cold, wet, and Instagram is full of people presumably doing very well on their resolutions.
I haven’t personally made a New Years’ resolution in a long time; it used to be to make sure I didn’t get stressed out about the minor things in life, and before that, it was about the biting of my nails. And although now I have achieved the latter, I slip up now and again whenever I do the former. It’s a nervous habit. And being a third-year university student is a prerequisite for stress. So instead of just waiting for a time when I won’t be stressed out (which, as I approach adulthood, seems to be in extremely short supply), I have decided to stop making resolutions.
The feeling of failing is not great, and I suspect many people will agree with me?
I know some people use them as motivation, and I salute them. Now, although I would love to ask how on earth they find this extraordinary level of motivation, I know for a fact that it’s impossible to put into words. Moreover, most of these resolutions may be personal, and as a result, some will be unwilling to share their ways. On the other hand, I need to feel apprehension, fear, and nervousness simultaneously before I will be able to complete any form of work. Making resolutions at the beginning of the year doesn’t have consequences if I don’t stick to them.
Of course, this is all personal to me. And I don’t want to go on a rant about resolutions that I haven’t stuck to. I’m sure some people find them very helpful and manage to stick to them through January and throughout the whole year and maybe every year. It’s an awe-inspiring feat, and I do wish I could do the same thing. However, honestly, I don’t feel like I need to. I believe I’m doing well and don’t need to worry about other things.
Something similar I have started doing is affirmations at least once a week. I write or type down the things that have stressed me out the whole week and tell myself something good that has happened. It’s constructive as it manages to clear my mind. I believe this is better than a resolution, at least for me, as it gives me a set thing to do every week. It is more specific than simply saying, ‘I want to be more relaxed this year ’ and not doing it. It also helps to have someone remind me to do that.
Another thing I’ve made sure I’m doing, especially during this final term, is to write down everything I need to do. Now, I don’t mean writing a huge, long list of every single thing I need to do. I’m talking about having a heading of what I need to do, and then I’ll break it down into much smaller manageable chunks. For some things, I have put mini-deadlines. However, they are flexible to me, and I will not stress if I get behind.
The main point I am trying to get across is that New Years’ resolutions can be great for some people; however, they’re just not for me. I prefer little things that I wouldn’t even call resolutions to keep me going.
If you make resolutions and stick to them, I salute you; if you don’t, I salute you too.
